{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/782912.json"},"data":{"type":"petition","id":782912,"attributes":{"action":"Modernise the law on mental health and criminal responsibility","background":"Review and reform the law on criminal responsibility in England and Wales so courts can consider whether a recognised mental, developmental, neurological or personality disorder substantially impaired a defendant’s rational judgment, understanding or behavioural control.","additional_details":"The current insanity rules date from 1843 and lag behind modern psychiatric understanding. Although prosecutors can consider mental health when deciding whether prosecution is in the public interest, we want a stronger statutory framework requiring relevant expert evidence to be considered before prosecution and, where a case proceeds, when determining criminal responsibility, not only at sentencing. Diagnosis alone should not be an automatic defence.","committee_note":null,"state":"open","signature_count":28,"closing_date":"2027-04-19","created_at":"2026-09-25T10:18:54.550Z","updated_at":"2026-10-21T22:07:50.000Z","rejected_at":null,"opened_at":"2026-10-19T08:00:46.605Z","closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2026-09-25T11:54:10.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"debate_scheduled_on":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"creator_name":"Miriam Virgo","rejection":null,"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[{"acronym":"MoJ","name":"Ministry of Justice","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice"}],"topics":[],"signatures_by_country":[{"name":"United Kingdom","code":"GB","signature_count":28}],"signatures_by_constituency":[{"name":"Basingstoke","ons_code":"E14001078","mp":"Luke Murphy MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Bexleyheath and Crayford","ons_code":"E14001089","mp":"Daniel Francis MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Bradford South","ons_code":"E14001119","mp":"Judith Cummins MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Brentford and Isleworth","ons_code":"E14001124","mp":"Ruth Cadbury MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Carshalton and Wallington","ons_code":"E14001153","mp":"Bobby Dean MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Coventry North West","ons_code":"E14001181","mp":"Taiwo Owatemi MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Croydon West","ons_code":"E14001188","mp":"Sarah Jones MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Derby South","ons_code":"E14001194","mp":"Baggy Shanker MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Derbyshire Dales","ons_code":"E14001195","mp":"John Whitby MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Earley and Woodley","ons_code":"E14001210","mp":"Yuan Yang MP","signature_count":3},{"name":"East Wiltshire","ons_code":"E14001217","mp":"Danny Kruger MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Gillingham and Rainham","ons_code":"E14001246","mp":"Naushabah Khan MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Hackney North and Stoke Newington","ons_code":"E14001259","mp":"Rt Hon Diane Abbott MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Ipswich","ons_code":"E14001302","mp":"Jack Abbott MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Kingswinford and South Staffordshire","ons_code":"E14001316","mp":"Mike Wood MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Luton South and South Bedfordshire","ons_code":"E14001346","mp":"Rachel Hopkins MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"North Somerset","ons_code":"E14001399","mp":"Sadik Al-Hassan MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Reading Central","ons_code":"E14001438","mp":"Matt Rodda MP","signature_count":4},{"name":"Salisbury","ons_code":"E14001460","mp":"Rt Hon John Glen MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"South West Devon","ons_code":"E14001495","mp":"Rebecca Smith MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"St Ives","ons_code":"E14001511","mp":"Andrew George MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Stroud","ons_code":"E14001529","mp":"Dr Simon Opher MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Woking","ons_code":"E14001592","mp":"Mr Will Forster MP","signature_count":1}],"signatures_by_region":[{"name":"Yorkshire and The Humber","ons_code":"D","signature_count":1},{"name":"East Midlands","ons_code":"E","signature_count":2},{"name":"West Midlands","ons_code":"F","signature_count":2},{"name":"East of England","ons_code":"G","signature_count":2},{"name":"London","ons_code":"H","signature_count":5},{"name":"South East","ons_code":"J","signature_count":10},{"name":"South West","ons_code":"K","signature_count":6}],"other_parliamentary_business":[]}}}